Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Empathy In Other Apes, Kristin Andrews, Lori Gruen

Sentience Collection

A number of scholars have offered behavioral and physiological arguments in favor of the existence of empathy in other species (see Bekoff & Pierce 2009, Flack & de Waal 2000, Plutchik 1987). While the evidence is compelling, claims about empathy in nonhuman apes face two different challenges. The first challenge comes from a set of empirical findings that suggest great apes are not able to think about other’s beliefs. The argument here is based on a view that empathy is associated with folk psychological understanding of others’ mental states, or mindreading, and the existence of mindreading among the other apes …

What Do Zebrafish Want? Impact Of Social Grouping, Dominance And Gender On Preference For Enrichment, Paul Schroeder, Soffia Jones, Iain S. Young, Lynne U. Sneddon

Sentience Collection

Although environmental enrichment is known to improve laboratory rodent wellbeing and enhance scientific data collection, relatively little is known with regards to the type of enrichment that might be useful for zebrafish (Danio rerio). Therefore, this study explored if zebrafish displayed preferences for a range of enrichments, including substrates, artificial plants, combinations thereof and airstones. Tanks divided into two compartments containing different enrichment cues were used to determine the preferences of zebrafish housed in pairs and groups of eight. When comparing time spent in enriched versus barren compartments, dominant individuals in a pair displayed a preference for substrate and behaviourally …

“I Am A Vegetarian”: Reflections On A Way Of Being, Kenneth J. Shapiro

Human Health Collection

Employing a qualitative method adapted from phenomenological psychology, the paper presents a socio-psychological portrait of a vegetarian. Descriptives are a product of the author’s reflection on (dialogue with) empirical findings and published personal accounts, interviews, and case studies. The paper provides evidence for the hypothesis that vegetarianism is a way of being. This way of experiencing and living in the world is associated with particular forms of relationship to self, to other animals and nature, and to other people. The achievement of this way of being, particularly in the interpersonal sphere, comprises an initial, a transitional, and a crystallizing phase …

Individual Personality Traits Influence Group Exploration In A Feral Guppy Population, Culum Brown, Eleanor Irving

Sentience Collection

We examined whether variation in group exploratory behavior was linked with variation in personality traits (boldness, activity, and sociability) in a population of feral guppies (Poecilia reticulata). A huge amount of variation was observed in dispersal tendency between shoals. Surprisingly, no significant correlations were found between group exploratory behavior and average group personality scores, which suggests that the movement of the shoal was not generated by group conformity. However, our analysis revealed correlations between group exploration and the activity score of the least active member of a group and the sociality index of the most social member of a group. …

Hatching Success Of Rainbowfish Eggs Following Exposure To Air, Lois J. Oulton, Penelope Carbia, Culum Brown

Aquaculture Collection

Translocation of fishes within and between drainage basins is widely recognised as a threatening process to Australian native fishes. While many translocations are deliberate, for example for fisheries enhancement, it is possible that translocation can occur naturally. In the Wet Tropic region of Australia, the widespread eastern rainbowfish, Melanotaenia splendida, has begun to colonise the Atherton tablelands. This is of particular concern because the area is home to several endangered endemic species such as the Lake Eacham rainbowfish, M. eachamensis, and its allies. It is likely that some of the translocations have occurred through the use of this species as …

Applying Ethological And Health Indicators To Practical Animal Welfare Assessment, F. Wemelsfelder, S. Mullan

Animal Welfare Collection

There is a growing effort worldwide to develop objective indicators for animal welfare assessment, which provide information on an animal’s quality of life, are scientifically trustworthy, and can readily be used in practice by professionals. Animals are sentient beings capable of positive and negative emotion, and so these indicators should be sensitive not only to their physical health, but also to their experience of the conditions in which they live. This paper provides an outline of ethological research aimed at developing practical welfare assessment protocols. The first section focuses on the development and validation of welfare indicators generally, in terms …

Qualitative Behavioural Assessment Of The Motivation For Feed In Sheep In Response To Altered Body Condition Score, C. A. Stockman, T. Collins, A. L. Barnes, D. Miller, S. L. Wickham, E. Verbeek, L. Matthews, D. Ferguson, F. Wemelsfelder, P. A. Fleming

Sentience Collection

Qualitative behavioural assessment (QBA) has been used to quantify the expressive behaviour of animals, and operant tests have been used to quantify measures of behavioural need. In this study we compared measures of behavioural expression and behaviour in operant tests. We examined the behavioural expression of pregnant ewes of body condition score (BCS) 2 and 3. The ewes were exposed to a feed motivation test in which they received a food reward. Pregnant ewes (48–70 days gestation) were assessed during a food motivation test after they had been maintained at BCS 3 (n = 7) or given a decreasing plane …

The Usefulness Of Systematic Reviews Of Animal Experiments For The Design Of Preclinical And Clinical Studies, Rob B.M. De Vries, Kimberley E. Weaver, Marc T. Avey, Martin Stephens, Emily S. Sena, Marlies Leenaars

Experimentation Collection

The question of how animal studies should be designed, conducted, and analyzed remains underexposed in societal debates on animal experimentation. This is not only a scientific but also amoral question. After all, if animal experiments are not appropriately designed, conducted, and analyzed, the results produced are unlikely to be reliable and the animals have in effect been wasted. In this article, we focus on one particular method to address this moral question, namely systematic reviews of previously performed animal experiments. We discuss how the design, conduct, and analysis of future (animal and human) experiments may be optimized through such systematic …

Acoustic Divergence In The Rut Vocalizations Of Persian And European Fallow Deer, J. B. Stachowicz, E. Vannoni, B. J. Pitcher, Elodie F. Briefer, E. Geffen, A. G. Mcelligott

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

We conducted a study of the male rut vocalizations (groans) of two closely related species, Persian and European fallow deer. Persian fallow deer are endangered, restricted to Iran and Israel, and their rut vocalizations have never been studied. By contrast, European fallow deer are one of the most common deer species in the world, and have been the subject of numerous detailed studies. Persian bucks are approximately 16% larger than European bucks, and this can have important implications for vocalizations. Persian bucks were recorded in Israel, and European bucks were recorded in the UK and Ireland. We measured temporal, fundamental …

Apes Communicate About Absent And Displaced Objects: Methodology Matters, Heidi Lyn, Jamie L. Russell, David A. Leavens, Kim A. Bard, Sarah T. Boysen, Jennifer A. Schaeffer, William D. Hopkins

Sentience Collection

Displaced reference is the ability to refer to an item that has been moved (displaced) in space and/ or time, and has been called one of the true hallmarks of referential communication. Several studies suggest that nonhuman primates have this capability, but a recent experiment concluded that in a specific situation (absent entities) human infants display displaced reference but chimpanzees do not. Here we show that chimpanzees and bonobos of diverse rearing histories are capable of displaced reference to absent and displaced objects. It is likely that some of the conflicting findings from animal cognition studies are due to relatively …

Effect Of Confinement On Water-Borne And Whole Body Cortisol In Wild And Captive-Eared Rainbowfish (Melanoteania Duboulayi), Amina Zuberi, Culum Brown, Sinan Ali

Physiology Collection

Whole body and water-borne cortisol levels were measured in captive reared and wild Rainbowfish (Melanoteania duboulayi Castelnau 1878) subjected to social isolation by confining them in a beaker for 30 min to induce an acute stress response. Wild fish had higher levels of cortisol before and after exposure to a mild stressor and also showed the greatest stress response. The differences in stress responses are likely the result of artificial selection in the captive environment. Importantly, there was a strong linear relationship between whole body and water-borne cortisol in wild and captive reared populations (r² =0. 95 and 0.84, …

Population Genetic Structure Of Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In A Marine Archipelago Suggests Island-Mainland Differentiation Consistent With Dietary Niche, Astrid V. Stronen, Erin L. Navid, Michael S. Quinn, Paul C. Paquet, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont

Population Distribution and Habitat Collection

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that ecological heterogeneity across space can influence the genetic structure of populations, including that of long-distance dispersers such as large carnivores. On the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) dietary niche and parasite prevalence data indicate strong ecological divergence between marine-oriented wolves inhabiting islands and individuals on the coastal mainland that interact primarily with terrestrial prey. Local holders of traditional ecological knowledge, who distinguish between mainland and island wolf forms, also informed our hypothesis that genetic differentiation might occur between wolves from these adjacent environments.

Results: We used microsatellite genetic markers …

Grizzly Bear Monitoring By The Heiltsuk People As A Crucible For First Nation Conservation Practice, William G. Housty, Anna Noson, Gerald W. Scoville, John Boulanger, Richard M. Jeo, Chris T. Darimont, Christopher E. Filardi

Wildlife Population Management Collection

Guided by deeply held cultural values, First Nations in Canada are rapidly regaining legal authority to manage natural resources. We present a research collaboration among academics, tribal government, provincial and federal government, resource managers, conservation practitioners, and community leaders supporting First Nation resource authority and stewardship. First, we present results from a molecular genetics study of grizzly bears inhabiting an important conservation area within the territory of the Heiltsuk First Nation in coastal British Columbia. Noninvasive hair sampling occurred between 2006 and 2009 in the Koeye watershed, a stronghold for grizzly bears, salmon, and Heiltsuk people. Molecular demographic analyses revealed …

Stress And Reproductive Hormones Reflect Inter-Specific Social And Nutritional Conditions Mediated By Resource Availability In A Bear–Salmon System, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards, Judit E. G. Smits

Physiology Collection

Food availability can influence the nutritional and social dynamics within and among species. Our investigation focused on grizzly and black bears in coastal British Columbia, Canada, where recent and dramatic declines in their primary prey (salmon) raise concerns about potentially negative effects on bear physiology. We examined how salmon availability relates to stress and reproductive hormones in coastal grizzly (n = 69) and black bears (n = 68) using cortisol and testosterone. In hair samples from genotyped individuals, we quantified salmon consumption using stable isotope analysis and hormone levels by enzyme immunoassay. To estimate the salmon biomass available to each …

Creating Knowledge, Volume 7, 2014

Creating Knowledge

Dear Students, Faculty Colleagues and Friends, It is my great pleasure to introduce the seventh volume of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences’ Creating Knowledge—our undergraduate student scholarship and research journal. First published in 2008, the journal is the outcome of an initiative to enhance and enrich the academic quality of the student experience within the college. Through this publication, the college seeks to encourage students to become actively engaged in creating scholarship and research and gives them a venue for the publication of their essays.

Beginning with the sixth volume of the journal, we instituted a major …

Plan B Career Information: Annotated Resource List, Elizabeth Howard

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Paul Faulstich’S Reflective Review Of Susan A. Phillips’ Essay, Paul Faulstich

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

Paul Faulstich's review of Susan A. Phillips' essay titled, "Huerta del Valle: A New Nonprofit in a Neglected Landscape".

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 56 Number 1, Fall 2014, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - HEARING THE CRY OF THE POOR: The Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador by Ron Hansen M.A. ’95. Their murder in November 1989 marked a turning point in the country’s civil war. What do they have to say to us now?

25 - THE OPEN WINDOW by Lucía Cerna. A first-person account by the housekeeper in the Jesuit community at the University of Central America. She witnessed the killing of six Jesuits by government soldiers, and telling the truth about that night cost her dearly.

29 - WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? By Mary Jo (Hull) Ignoffo ’78. The …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 55 Number 2, Winter 2014, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

16 - RISE UP, MY LOVE by Brian Doyle. There are sanctuaries built for worship—and that carry beauty visible to everyone. Then there are the improvised places of faith, more subtle in how they speak to the wonder worked there.

18 - THE CHAPLAIN IS IN THE HOUSE by Jeremy Herb ’08 with Ppotos by Pat Semansky ’08. With the way things have gone recently in Congress, looking to the heavens for some help and guidance might seem like a very good idea. Enter Pat Conroy, S.J., M.Div. ’83.

24 - WELCOME TO CITIZENVILLE by Jim Cottrill. Who published the …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 15 2014, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Self-Construal Moderates Testosterone Reactivity To Competitive Outcomes, Keith Welker

Wayne State University Dissertations

Previous research shows that testosterone reactivity to competitive outcomes predicts aggressive behavior in men. However, some studies have failed to find these effects, and it has been suggested that individual differences moderate the relationships between competitive outcomes, testosterone fluctuations, and aggressive behavior. The current research examined whether one individual difference--self-construal--would moderate these effects. In Study 1, participants were assigned to win or lose a competitive video game and engaged in a reactive aggression task. Results indicated that increases in testosterone in response to winning and decreases in response to losing occurred in men with independent, not interdependent, self-construals. These changes …

Landscape And Garden Plants Sample Submission To The Plant And Pest Diagnostic Clinic, Kevin Korus, Tamra Jackson-Ziems, James A. Kalisch, Lowell Sandell, Terri James

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Diagnoses are made easier and turnaround time is improved when the quality of plant samples is maintained. This NebGuide discusses the proper guidelines for submitting landscape and garden plants, turf, and tree samples to UNL’s Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic.

There are several important things to consider when collecting, packaging, and sending plant or insect samples for diagnosis in a plant diagnostic laboratory. Collect an adequate amount of plant material. When feasible, the sample should include the entire plant — roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Whole plants are needed to properly evaluate the sample. If the whole plant is …

Planting The Landscape, Kim Todd, Elizabeth Killinger, Terri James

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

A landscape is an investment of time and money that can be a beautiful, functional, and satisfying living space. Gardeners and landscape managers implementing integrated pest management strategies through good judgment in plant selection, site preparation, and planting practices will reduce insect, disease, and wildlife damage and will help ensure the growth and longevity of the investment.

Proper plant selection, site preparation, and planting practices are aspects of integrated pest management. Continued integration of correct cultural practices is important through proper mulching, watering, fertilizing, and other management practices to reduce pests.

Smarter Intentions And Authentic Goals (2014 Edition), Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

Intentions influence our actions and behaviors. If intentions are established with awareness, truth, and meaning, they help us experience a life filled with passion and personal fulfillment. Lack of understanding around our true intentions often causes frustration and confusion, which is one reason people oftentimes do not achieve their goals. Many goals are written; however, they are not established with honest intent.

It’s time to get brutally honest about your true intentions so you can achieve authentic goals. Intentions have the power to strengthen your Inner Leader and help you move forward in a meaningful way as long as they …

Vcu's Green Richmond Research, Nadia Rentia

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

The impact of urbanization on the dogwood tree was the VCU junior Kaitlyn Parkman’s focus as she researched hundreds of trees in Richmond.

Incorporating Risk Of Reinvasion To Prioritize Sites For Invasive Species Management, Todd R. Lookingbill, Emily S. Minor, Nadia Bukach, Joseph R. Ferrari, Lisa A. Wainger

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

The relationship between landscape pattern and the distribution and spread of exotic species is an important determinant of where and when management actions are best applied. We have developed an interdisciplinary approach for prioritizing treatment of harmful, nonnative, invasive plants in National Park landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic USA. The approach relies upon a detailed model of reinvasion risk that combines information on: (1) global factors representing park-level infestation from seed and sprout, (2) landscape factors including disturbance-based spread vectors and neighborhood seed density, and (3) local factors determining establishment probability based on habitat suitability. Global seed rain estimates are derived …

A Vision Of Capitalism, As It Was Meant To Be: A Social Purpose Business Plan For Foodshed Productions, August Miller

Capstone Collection

FoodShed Productions, a social enterprise is pursuing a mission: to raise the caring capacity of communities and resilience of our local environments through resident education in organic backyard farming. As a social enterprise, FoodShed Productions, a for-profit, earns its economic viability doing work more often associated with non-profits, measuring its worth by the social, environmental, and economic benefits of its operations. The communities in Boulder County, CO. are served by FoodShed Productions through a social process in which “We Build, We Coach, You Keep Growing,” toward the goal of self-reliance.

The topic of this CLC is a Social Purpose Business …

Community Vitality Connects Nebraska, Charlotte Narjes, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

Fostering the future of Nebraska is the underlying mission of the newly formed Community Vitality Initiative (CVI) launched by UNL Extension. The Community Vitality Initiative is focused on expanding partnerships to build communities where businesses thrive, entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need and young people want to return. Currently multi-disciplinary teams include faculty from the Departments such as Ag Economics and the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies and will include faculty from all the University campuses and service providers from outside of the University.

An Examination Of Music's Effects On Athletic Performance, Patrick Ford

A with Honors Projects

This paper is an investigation of how music can impact athletic performance and the biological pathways that it acts through.